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Derrick Del Pilar

Born and raised in Chicago, I came to the tango while studying at the Universidad de Belgrano in Buenos Aires in 2006. In 2008 I earned my B.A. with majors in Creative Writing and Spanish & Portuguese from the University of Arizona, and in 2009 I earned an M.A. in Latin American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. My specialty is the history & literature of early 20th century Argentina.
Derrick Del Pilar has written 149 posts for Poesía de gotán: The Poetry of the Tango

Cristal (1944)

Crystal lyrics by José María Contursi music by Mariano Mores My heart has been torn to pieces, my feelings shattered on this day… Night after night with no rest and this unease in my soul… So, so many years have passed— my life and my hair are gray! Mad, nearly dead, crushed, my spirit is still chained to the days of … Continue reading

Buenos Aires (1923)

Buenos Aires lyrics by Manuel Romero Buenos Aires, the Queen of the Plata, Buenos Aires, my beloved land, listen now to my song— my whole life has gone into it. In my most orgiastic, fevered hours, spent from pleasure and insanity, I think of you, my homeland, and my bitterness gets some relief. Under the blanket of … Continue reading

Los mareados (1942)

The Lushes* lyrics by Enrique Cadícamo Strange, almost fired up, I found you drinking, beautiful and terrible… You were drinking and amidst the champagne’s clamor, you were laughing like a madwoman so you wouldn’t cry… It hurt to find you there since when I looked at you I saw, girl,** your eyes filled with an electric fire, your beautiful … Continue reading

Balada para un loco (1969)

Ballad for a Lunatic lyrics by Horacio Ferrer (1933-2014) music by Ástor Piazzolla (spoken) The afternoons in Buenos Aires have a certain… ¿qué se yo? [1]—y’know? I’ve just left home, headed down Arenales. The streets, and me, the same as ever…when suddenly, from behind a tree, he appears. A strange cross between one of the last homeless … Continue reading

Puente Alsina (1926)

Puente Alsina* lyrics by Benjamin Tagle Lara Where is my neighborhood, my wicked cradle? Where is the scruffy haven of yesteryear? With one slap, the paved streets wiped out that old place where I grew up… In the suspicious suburban** silence, on the night of a turbulent love affair, I became, from then on, everyone’s … Continue reading

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Tango Poetry Project

Visit the Tango Poetry Project by Felipe Martínez & Ayano Yoneda for more excellent translations, and resources on tango poetry & lyrics.